Naruto Uzumaki - The Fourth Hokage's Legacy
by nostalgicpenguin
Summary: On October 10th the Nine Tailed Fox attacked the Konohagakure, killing many of it's residents and destroying a vast amount of the village itself. Minato, the Fourth Hokage and leader of the village sealed away the Kyuubi into his new born son, Naruto. But, unbeknownst to the Fourth his student Jiraiya arrived as soon as he finished sealing the Kyuubi...
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**Chapter 1 - Prologue**

Shinobi always had regrets. Some shoulder the pain and the pain of others, and push forward to protect what is important in their lives now. This is one of the main roles of the Hokage; Bear the weight of the entire village on your shoulders and guide your village through whatever challenge lies ahead. They should always put the village first, no matter what. This was exactly what Minato, the Fourth Hokage, did on October tenth, the night the Kyuubi attacked the Konohagakure.

The Fourth stared at the beast, who was enraged and trying to escape his already sealed fate. Minato's blue eyes then drifted towards his newborn son, not even a day old and already becoming a hero. After he and his wife said his final words, he cast the justu, saving the village and forever condemning the child to a life of suffering and sadness. Suddenly the beast was gone, sealed into the boy. The danger was gone, and the Fourth closed his eyes as his whole body went limp. "We were a family, despite how brief it was, we were happy, I was a Dad. Naruto, my son, I hope you can forgive me" Were Minato's last thoughts before he faded from the world.

"Minato!" Screamed a man from the distance.

Sprinting towards the scene, the man felt his legs buckle at the sight of his student lying lifeless on the floor, next to his lover, also lifeless. The man was tall, with a long mane of white hair which hung down his back. He had red markings on his face and his outfit was one of a Toad Hermit. His name was Jiraiya, the Sensei of the Fourth and one of the Sannin three.

Shinobi were meant to have excellent controll over their emotions, as the job required you to do some horrible tasks. But even Jiraiya, who has experienced war and the loss of his friends, could not believe what he saw that night.

Destroyed, Jiraiya embraced the body of his student and remained so for some time. He would have stayed longer, but the noise of a crying child had caught his attention. Gathering himself, Jiraiya stood up and walked over to the child, suddenly realising the seriousness of the situation at hand. The Kyuubi had been sealed into a child, the Fourth's son no less.

Jiraiya picked up the child and cradled him, calming him. Before disappearing, the man dispatched a messenger toad to gather those he needed. The night was far from over.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage and now it would seem current Hokage fell through the window of his old office. He was tired and injured, so as soon as he entered he fell against the wall and allowed himself to relax. He had lived through too much, he was too old for fighting such a demon, but he loved his village and the will of fire burned greatly within him. He would not give up as long as there was still life in his body. Catching his breath back, Hiruzen pulled out his pipe from his pocket, and began to smoke it.

"You know, smoking isn't good for you, especially for a man who is of your age" Jiraiya said in a calm, serious voice. Although what he said was a joke, there was no hint of it in the way he spoke.

Hiruzen closed his eyes and attempted to face his student. "Jiraiya, is the child safe?" Ignoring what his student had said.

"Yes, for now. The villagers won't see the boy as a hero, I dread to think what the boy is going to have to endure" Said the white haired man somberly, and Hiruzen could do nothing by agree.

Both let silence consume the room, both reluctant to speak as they had no idea what to do regarding the boy. On one hand, if the boy lived in the village, he would have no family and live with being hated by most of the village. On the other hand, he could live outside the village, but he would be alone still, and he could not fail this boy like he has failed so many others, as a Sensei and as a father. This boy needed to remain in the village, despite the hatred, so he could be looked after.

"I would take the boy in, but.." Jiraiya's voice was cut off by the old man, who despite his injuries and fatigue, could speak in a loud voice full of authority.

"I don't expect you to take him in, you are needed to perform your duties and a Ninja" Pausing, Hiruzen sighed and looked at his student. "You must promise to visit the boy though, as often as you can. This boy needs people in his life, and as I can understand how you be there for him all the time, he needs someone to look up to. I believe he will want to become a fine ninja one day, just like his father".

Jiraiya winced, as mentioning the death of his student and close friend was like a kunai digging into his chest. Although he had only spent a minute with the baby, he was already warming to it, as the thought of the boy sleeping in his crib seeming to numb the pain, if only for a second.

"Jiraiya, we need all the help we can get to rebuild the village, and we are going to need you to make sure we don't get attacked. Many villages and ninja will want to take advantage of our current state, but in a month come back and report to me. We will then sort out properly when you can see Naruto" Hiruzen said with an unwavering tongue. Although inside he was filling with dread at the amount of paperwork he will have to do as the Hokage of the village once again.

* * *

Four Weeks Later

The Third Hokage reclined in his office chair, staring at the size of paperwork he still had to do. This was a tedious job, and it was starting to take it's toll on the old man. He looked out of the window and puffed out smoke rings, something he seemed to be quite good at. The village was being rebuilt and people were finally starting to have hope again. While thinking about this, he failed to notice a white-haired man enter the room through the window until he coughed to alert Hiruzen of himself.

Somewhat surprised (although he was careful not to let it show) the old man faced his student once again, one month after the incident. A lot had happened since that day, including a very disturbing council meeting which he wished never to repeat as long as he was Hokage. The meeting was about deciding the future of the boy, and many wanted to kill him. Some were impartial, like the Aburame clan, and Hiruzen was indeed thankfull for at least part of the village not to hate the blond Jinchuuriki.

"Good morning Sensei, here, I forgot to give this to you the last time I saw you, think of it as a gift from me" Jiraiya said with a small grin on his face. The Third noticed the little orange book in his hand, and thanked the gods for his students genius work. They had helped him get through many days of paperwork and probably saved his life in the process.

Jiraiya knew how his books were stuff of legend, admired by all men everywhere. What could he say? He was just that good. "Anyway, how is the boy?" Asked Jiraiya in a more serious tone.

The old man's head went down, as all he could say back was how Naruto was hated by most of the village except one or two clans, and how the orphanage was not tending to him properly.

A wave of killing intent brushed by the Third, who noticed Jiraiya was clenching his fists apon hearing the news.

"I will see the boy now, but sooner or later people will try and hurt the boy, so make sure to have an ANBU squad watch the boy, he will need it" And with this, Jiraiya was gone, leaving behind the orange book on the desk, much to the Third's pleasure. "_Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all"_.

* * *

Jiraiya knew of the laws put in place to protect Naruto, but he figured people would find ways around them, they always do. Anger built up inside the Sannin. His student's final wish was for his son to be a hero, and for the village to recognise him as such. But, the opposite seemed to happen. Instead of viewing Naruto as the savour of the village, he would be a pariah and endure the hate.

Jiraiya was many things; a great ninja, a writer of a very popular series of books, a failure at protecting his friends. But, he always did what he thought was best and treid to live with no regrets. He was a great man, and strived for everlasting peace throughout the world. He had faith that his genius student, Minato, would have been the child of prophecy - the one who can bring a stop to the pain and suffering of the ninja world. He had done that too often, put his hope in others and it always seemed to bite him in the ass. But, Jiraiya never gave up, that was his ninja way, and he couldn't help but wonder as he came to the orphanage that this boy, born into a world of hate and prejudice, could bring an end to the cycle of hatred.

_"I must be going mad in my old age, but only time will tell who this boy will become" _Jiraiya mused as he found himself on the roof of the orphanage.

The white-haired hermit was never one to use doors, sometimes he just didn't want the hassle. Entering through the window and not alerting anyone to his presence would also prove useful to see how the boy is being treated.

As he entered, he found himself in a charming room, full of many children running around playing together, laughing and having fun. Making his way through to the next room, he found many cribs full of children.

Though, Naruto was in none of them.

This put Jiraiya on edge as he started making hand signals. In no more than a whisper, he said "**Kekkai: Tengai Hōjin**", a justu which enables the user to create a dome around one's self, and be able to sense anything within the dome.

Usually, he didn't create the dome so big, but it quickly engulfed the room he was in, then the whole top floor, then the building. Suddenly, Jiraiya had sensed where the boy was, and wasted no time in getting to him.

After opening a door to the place he had sensed the young child was, the stairs leading to the leaky basement were dark and in poor condition, clearly in need of repair.

Jiraiya stood facing this black abyss which seemed to go on forever. This was were he had sensed Naruto, and already he was about ready to lodge a kunai into whoever had put the boy in this basement.

Making his way down the broken staircase, a faint light could be seen hanging in the distance over the crib of the boy. He would of rushed over immediately if he wasn't taking in his surroundings and just how bad this place was. It looked like a sewer, with ankle deep water along it's floor, with water pipes protruding out of the walls.

The smell coming from the corner at which the boy was lying indicated that he had not been changed since last night or so, and the way the child was screaming clearly he had not been fed properly. The cry was weak and painful.

The man, almost exploding due to his rage at the orphanage, looked at the child, put his hand on his head and leant in to give him a give. As he did this, the crying stopped and when Jiraiya pulled his back back, he was greeted with a massive smile of pure joy from the child.

The smile flowed into him and made seemed to calm all the anger inside him, it engulfed his being and made everything better. For a brief moment, he had no cares in the world.

But he had to go and fix something, and this thought brought him back to reality. He would make sure the boy wasn't mistreated in this place, even if he had to give his own life. Naruto was his godson, and Kami knows he would not let the orphanage get away with this.

And so he left the boy once more after making sure he had closed his eyes and was sleeping. He could only wonder what kind of man he would be when he grew up, but after the way that smile of his affected him, Jiraiya was sure that the boy was going to be just like his father.


	2. Chapter 2 - New Goals

**Chapter 2 - New Goals**

**5 years after the Kyuubi's attack**

A small, blond-haired boy walked through the street alone. The stares he got inflicted the same damage as a kunai, and it made his life almost unbearable. Almost.

There had been two people in the world who cared for him, although one was never really around that often, and seeing the other was difficult and thus he didn't see him very much. But despite this, just knowing that these people didn't resent him made everything ok. The looks he got hurt, the names he were called hurt even more. The beatings hurt on a whole new level. But he wasn't alone, and this kept him strong.

Naruto knew nothing of his parents or the Kyuubi. A law was made stating that know one can speak of what actually happened that night to keep the boy safe, along with a warning. Anyone who harms the boy will be executed there and then, but people still got around it.

The boy had many 'accidents' through the last month, leaving him in intensive care for a day or two, but even then danger could not be avoided. Many medic-nin either didn't treat him properly or just said that he was ok and in no need of assistance.  
Today Naruto had just been released following an overnight stay at the Hospital. The gap between his visits were starting to shorten, but this was only logical due to the upcoming date. October 10th, only two weeks away. October 10th was the day the dreaded Kyuubi attacked teh village, killing many and leaving most buildings crumbled and destroyed. Many people hated the boy, as he was seen as the Kyuubi, not it's jailor, and as such the boy would not be allowed to go outside, he simply wouldn't survive. Last year he just barely survived the worst beating of his life, and the Hokage was not willing to allow the same fate this year. No child should have to endure that, let alone on his birthday.

Making his way home, Naruto wondered what he was going to do when he gets home. He figured he would just go and eat some instant ramen (Ramen being the only thing the boy could make at the age of five), but he had the whole day to waste, he didn't favour the idea of staying inside the whole time. Thinking this, Naruto was reminded of another painful fact which seemed to cause a lot of pain; He had no friends.

Still, this wouldn't let the boy get in the way of having fun, as he was rather adempt in the field of pranking.  
Pranking was the boy's speciality, and seemed to already be a master at the art. Most people in the village have already been a victim to Naruto's tricks, and they were starting to get ticked off. But this didn't stop him, he wanted attention, and his next trap would  
make sure he got it.

Sitting on top of a building, Naruto looked down onto the street as people walked by, performing everyday tasks. He chuckled as he thought of how people would react to what he had just set up, but now he could only watch as soon his trap would be triggered. Lost in his thoughts of pranking and watching to see if anyone had set the trap off, he failed to notice Jiraiya appear behind him.

"Hey hey, Kid, what are you doing?" asked a man with a vast amount of zeal.

The blond prankster looked up from where he was lying to see a tall man with red facepaint.

"Ero Sennin!" cried the boy at such a volume it could be considered a weapon, smiling like there was no tomorrow. How happy the boy looked, despite just recently being released from hospital this morning.

"I thought I told you not to call me that? But still, why are you up here Naruto?"  
Just as he finished asking the question, Jiraiya was tackled to the ground by the energetic knucklehead, hugging at his waist.

"It's been like 4 weeks Ero Sennin, It's been so long since you have been here" Naruto's head dropped a little at this point. He wished he was around a lot more, but he understand that he was a ninja, and he had to leave the village.

"Come on kid, I'm here now, aren't I? I'm a little hungry, how about we go get some ramen?" The man sat there, thinking about how he had been letting the boy down. He had visited the boy as much as he could, but unfortunately that was not enough. Kami knows what his student would think if he could see this. But, at the mention of ramen, the boy lept in the air, jumping at least 2 meters in the air shouting "Yataa!". The boy is going to end up making him deaf, he knew it.

On the way to the ramen stand, Jiraiya could see the many stares the boy got, stares full of hatred. The man knew what it was like to be an orphan, to be alone. But this was beyond his comprehension. He saw the boy flinch at some of the stares, but all Naruto did was look up at him and let out a massive toothy grin.

"_That same smile_" Thought Jiraiya as he smiled back. There was something about that kid, something that just seemed to fill one with hope and happieness. It was impossible not to like the kid if you got to know him.

Sitting at Naruto's favourite restaurant, the pair were greeted by two people who run the stand, and the only other people who didn't hate Naruto.

"Naruto! It's great to see our favourite customer again"

"Nee-chan! One bowl of miso ramen please"

"Of course, and for you, sir?" Ayame said in a cheerful manner.

"Beef ramen please" said Jiraiya who smiled to himself. Naruto had some people who didn't hate him, this was comforting to know, and he would have to show his appreciation to them somehow.

After a couple minutes the ramen was served, and almost as quickly as it had come, Naruto had finished and was already asking for a second bowl. "Ero Sennin, *gulp* can I ask you *gulp* a question?" asked the boy, wolfing down his food.

"Yes?"

"Well, I know you are a ninja and go out on dangerous missions, so I would like to ask what you are good at. I've decided I am going to be a ninja too" Said Naruto in a confident voice.

Jiraiya sat and stared at the child. "Hmmmm, why do you want to be a ninja Naruto?"

Naruto, now finishing his second bowl, turned and looked at the old man. "I want to become Hokage one day so everyone will acknowledge me as the leader of the village, and then I can protect it. Believe it!". These words shocked the man, but he didn't let it show. He started chuckling, and then simply nodded in approval. It was obvious his resolve was firm, and judging by his parents he would be more than qualified.

"Being a Ninja is a lot of work, but you seem dead set on it, you have a good goal kid, stick to it" Naruto let out another grin and dug into his third bowl of ramen.

Wolfing his food down once more, Naruto managed to utter out "So, what are you best at?".

"Well, I known for being a seal master, but I doubt you would be any good. Seals are quite complex" Jiraiya could tell the boy wasn't going to be a genius, but what he lacked in brains, he made up for in determination. After all, he was already making a name for himself pranking, and he knew Naruto spent a lot of time practicing it. He didn't have the skill of a ninja yet, but no one his age could prank better than he could.

"Hey, I would be ten times better at seals than an old pervert like you!" Naruto shouted, angry at the old man. He wasn't the smartest kid in the world, but he still didn't like to be insulted for it.

Jiraiya let out a laugh, mocking the boy further. "Ok then, if you really want I can give you some basic books on the subject. Show me you have learned everything from those, and I'll teach you some stuff that will blow your mind".

Naruto contemplated this for a moment while gulping down the last bit of his forth bowl of ramen. "You got a deal, Ero Sennin. But first, could you teach me how to read?" Said Naruto in a slighty embarrassed voice.

"The boy is only two weeks away from being five I guess, can't blame him for that" Thought Jiraiya, as the two continued to eat.  
Suddenly, a scream was heard coming from down the street, followed by a chorus of laughing. The white-heared man could only guess the cause of this scream, as he turned back to the young boy.

"What exactly were you doing on the roof, Naruto?" asked Jiraiya, but when he turned as he asked this, he saw that the seat next to him was empty, with no trace that the boy had been there at all.

Jiraiya chuckled to himself, shaking his head "_That boy has a long way to go before he becomes Hokage_" he thought to himself.

* * *

**5 Months Later**

"I did it! Believe it!"

"Well, I suppose it did work, although I think the idea was to blow up the target, not yourself"

Jiraiya had been teaching Naruto for 4 months, but Naruto had been making amazing progress. For the first month Naruto was being taught to read by a ninja named Iruka Umino. Although reluctant to do so, the young Chunin had no choice as this was a C-rank mission given to him especially by the Hokage. Iruka originally hated the boy as much as anyone in the village, and still wanted the boy dead. His parents had been killed 5 years ago during the Kyuubi attack, and resented the boy. But he wanted to be a ninja, and he didn't want to refuse the Hokage.

The Hokage had helped Iruka deal with his hatred and sparked his will of fire, and letting down him would mean letting down everyone in the village.

So, that was how the Genin met the boy.

At first, Iruka didn't help him that much due to his resentment, and Naruto didn't make any progress. But slowly, the recently appointed Chunin warmed to the boy, not seeing a Demon but a small boy who wanted to learn. Though a part of him hated the boy, Iruka pushed it down, and was able to enjoy their last week together.

As well as teaching Naruto how to read, he also taught him math and told Naruto about ninja academy (what his first lessons will be like, what he will be expected to do, et cetera). Undecided as to if the boy could be a great ninja or not, Iruka thought it best to tell him about it. Naruto often expressed his goal to become Hokage, which seemed impossible to Iruka, but the goal was the only thing that made the boy want to learn.

Naruto still couldn't read a whole book, but he could read small amounts of Kanji and write bits of it too. There final day together was spent eating ramen at Ichiraku.

For Naruto, these had been some of the best days of his life. Not only had he not been alone for most of the month, but he was learning things too, even if reading and writing were boring. The stares he recieved were as cold as ever, but he didn't care so much anymore, and he just ignored them most days.

The Chunin stared at the boy eating vast amounts of ramen. "_Why am I here doing this? I am supposed to hate the boy, but instead I like him. There is just something about him, something which just makes it impossible for me to believe he is the Kyuubi_" he thought as he ate his bowl of ramen. Although it was tough at first, Iruka found that he enjoyed teaching, and if he was honest, he didn't like the fact of not teaching again.

Naruto ordered his sixth bowl of ramen, surprising the Chunin at just how much he could eat, and regretting saying that he would pay for the food.

"Uhh, Iruka sensei, can I ask you something?" sheepishly asked Naruto.

This put Iruka a little on edge, as Naruto was usually confident and forward about most things, but the way he asked told the Chunin that this question was important. "Go ahead"

"I know this is your mission and all, but after, if I need help along the way to becoming a ninja, could I come to you for help?" Naruto asked with a great smile on his face. "If I am going to become Hokage, I am going to need some help".

He only just started questioning his hatred for the boy a week ago, and admittedly he still didn't completely like him. He didn't like the thought of seeing the boy regularly. He was the 'Demon Child' after all, kami knows what people would say. But how could he reject Naruto? This boy who was smiling like there was no tomorrow and eager to learn, there was no way he could just abandon him.

"Uhhh, sure Naruto, when you need me, ask the Hokage" Said a slightly nervous Iruka.

Naruto's head lowered. "It's ok if you don't want to you know, you can say no. It's not like it will be the first time somebody has wanted to get away from me".

"Naruto, of course I want to, just ask the Hokage, ok?" The Chunin said in a quick, loud voice which made Naruto jump. Iruka knew the pain of being alone, he has been an orphan for five years. He shuddered at the thought of what Naruto had to endure.

Right there Iruka decided something. Despite the boy being the jailor to the Kyuubi, the Chunin would not let him fall onto the path of hatred and revenge. He had his missions to complete and all, but he would make sure Naruto is ok on a regular basis. Why he had this sudden change of heart was unknown to him, but he could sympathise with the boy and related to him, and didn't want him to go through what he did.

"Yatta! Thanks sensei, I'll become Hokage and then everyone will respect me, and with your help I will get there even faster" Said a Naruto as he dived into his 7th bowl.

* * *

After that night, Jiraiya had returned to the village and started to teach Naruto the basics of being a ninja.

The boy was still quite young and as such unable to do most things, but he was still forced to run around Training Ground 3 until he couldn't go any further, and then worked on the basic concepts of chakra; including chakra control, how chakra is formed and jutsu. Though he hasn't done a lot of the actual exercises, Naruto knew a lot about them all and could mould as much chakra as a Chunin, an impressive feet for someone who hadn't even entered the academy.

After having this lesson, Naruto would then be taught about **Fūinjutsu**, the art of sealing.

Jiraiya was a master of sealing, one of the best there was and could teach Naruto a lot. Unfortunately, Fūinjutsu was complicated, something you couldn't pick up over night, so the two spent many hours going over concepts and writing out various Kanji for seals.

After this, Naruto would then have to do Taijutsu training for 3 hours, which included sparing, lessons on basics stances and how to practice effectively when he was without a teacher. This was the boy's strongest area, due to his unnatural stamina and strength.

On the last week, Naruto was taught how to make explosive tags (Due to the fact all boys love explosions and Naruto was looking a little bored of sealing concepts). By the end of the week Naruto had made one successful tag, which unfortunately detonated at the wrong time and left his clothes burnt and barely able to still be on his body. But the boy didn't care, he had made a tag and he was damn proud.

This past week had changed Jiraiya's connection with Naruto. Each day they spent together the two seemed to become more and more close, and by the end of it the fearless ninja was almost considering taking the boy with him on his next mission. The two had a bond similar to Jiraiya's bond with Minato, the fourth Hokage and father of the boy.

After the boy cleaned up and changed his closed, the two headed for ramen to celebrate the progress of the aspiring ninja.

"Now Naruto, you are going to the ninja academy next year, so make sure you pay attention! What I have been doing with you is just some basic training in a couple things, you are going to have to work hard to become a full-fledged shinobi, so make sure to listen to your teachers" Jiraiya said, knowing full well that Naruto can sometimes tune out of explanations that are deemed boring or confusing to the boy.

Naruto quickly gulped down his first bowl of ramen, and said "Don't worry sensei, I am going to become Hokage some day, and if I am ever going to achieve that I am going to have to learn everything I can".

"Ok, oh yeah, that reminds me, here you go kid" Jiraiya said, pulling out a scroll hidden in his clothing.

The scroll didn't look like the ordinary scroll Naruto was used to working from when training; it was slightly bigger, the paper had intricate patterns on it which were fine and beautiful, and it had a single bow wrapped around it's middle with a swirl symbol on it.

"That is for me? What is it?" Naruto asked, feeling quite shocked. No one had ever given him something like that as a gift, and he didn't know how to react.

Jiraiya simply chuckled. "It's a special scroll that I thought you could use. It contains a bunch of Fūinjutsu, as well as a training regimen I tweaked a bit for you. This scroll originally belonged to a clan extremely proficient in sealing, and I added a few things".

Naruto stared at the scroll as his eyes started to water. Naruto was used to crying, he has known pain in all forms. But still, crying because he was happy was unknown to him.

"Thank you so much, Ero-Sennin, I will train hard and become Hokage, I will make you proud" Naruto said, tears running down his face.

And with that, the two continued to eat their ramen, Naruto gripping his new scroll tightly, while Jiraiya was scribbling down notes on ideas for one of his orange books about a young, hot ramen cook. Naruto had already figured out the guy was a pervert due to an incident at the hot springs when he was 4, but he had yet to realise the full degree of which the old man was a pervert.

As the two said goodbye at Naruto's apartment, the boy quickly went to bed, eager to learn from the scroll.

Tomorrow was going to be a great day.


	3. Chapter 3 - First Day of School

**Chapter 3 - First Day of School**

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the paper work he had to complete, and the pile stood tall. He let out a sigh as he knew it would be late in the evening when he could finally relax. He had come to accept this as an inevitability and slowly smoked his pipe, blowing smoke rings out of the window and across the roof tops of the Konohana.

As one ring made it just out of the window, a dash of orange flew by it, contorting it. The old man knew only too well what this meant, and simply waited for the arrival of the boy.

Since the time of Naruto deciding he wanted to be a ninja one year ago, Hiruzen monitered the boy closely and would have been shocked if it were anyone else. The amount of stamina the boy possessed was incredible, being able to do as much exercise as someone twice his age, refusing to give up. His determination was shocking, but this was best seen during his times practicing from the Uzumaki scroll Jiraiya gave him. The boy was nothing short of a knucklehead, and not the smartest boy for his age, and liked to act quickly. Despite this, he still spent over six hours a day trying to perfect his seal making, moulding chakra and working on chakra control. The latter was the least improved area, but improved none the less. This past year the boy has been working hard, and Hiruzen knew it.

Without a moments warning the Hokage's thoughts were interupted by the screaming boy tumbling through the door, excited as ever. The said boy was sweating and panting, clearly rushed over here after he finished his last bit of daily training, and had to take a bit of time to get his breath back.

The Hokage noticed how the boy didn't take long to recover from his training, and couldn't help but shudder at the thought the Kyuubi was aiding this somehow. He didn't doubt Naruto's ability, but it would explain his fast healing and stamina. But, judging by who the boy's parents were, it would be more than plausible to assume it was nothing to do with the Kyuubi.

Finally, now able to speak, Naruto looked up and stared at the old man with a massive smile on his face.

"Ojii-san!"

"Naruto, what do I owe the pleasure to this time?" Answered the Hokage in a friendly tone.

Naruto stood up tall and lowered his head as he has seen people who aren't very powerful do when addressing the Hokage. "In a week I start the ninja academy, and I realised this morning all I know is a little Taijutsu and sealing techniques, but not a lot anything else. Do you have anything to help me with that?" The boy thought he might as well try and seem respectful when asking for something, a lesson Iruka taught him.

"I see you are eager to become a ninja, and you certainly have the determination for it. I know what Jiraiya has been teaching you so it shouldn't be difficult to find something for you" Replied the Hokage with a smile on his face. It gratified him to know the person out for his job wanted to train hard, and wanted to protect the village.

Naruto was extremely happy at how easy it was, he was sure he would have to do some convincing. Realising that he had what he wanted from here, Naruto remembered what else he needed if he was going to start the academy.

"Thank you, Ojii-san! I got to get going now, I need to go ask Iruka-sensei something, Later" Naruto said in what was more like a shout as he sprinted out the room, only to walk right back in smiling with a hand to the back of his head, stratching.

"Haha, Ojii-san, do you know where Iruka is? I kind of forgot where I was supposed to meet him" said the boy, embarrassed.

The Hokage chuckled and opened up a draw in his desk, only to pull out a crystal ball, an instrument which proved most handy in everyday life.

Staring deeply into it, Naruto was amazed when a picture started to appear on it as if by magic.

"He is in the park, and looks like he would be there a while, so why don't you stay here for a while and tell me about.."

The old man's words slowly stopped as he realised Naruto had already departed, feeling a little sad at his leave. But the boy was five, and if he had heard the old man, he was sure the boy would of stayed.

"_Iruka-sensei, huh?_" Hiruzen thought as his attention was drawn to his paper work again. "_Why couldn't that boy see me more often and keep me from doing this damn paper work_"

Staring back out to his village one more time, he went back to his job, wondering just what Naruto was going to ask Iruka.

* * *

Iruka sat down on a bench in the park, wanting to enjoy his afternoon in peace. He had gotten back from a mission yesterday and was still feeling the after effects of it. He loved the park, so peaceful and calm. He could clear his head here and think about nothing, which was something he favoured over most things.

Many had criticized him for his choice to become a teacher 8 months ago, but he wasn't cut out for field work. He loved teaching, more than anything, and he only had Naruto to thank for helping him realise it. Today was the last mission he would ever have to do which didn't involve teaching, one the Hokage had insisted he perform.

He looked up to the sky and yawned. Life was going to be good for now on, he would be doing something he loved on a daily basis, and he wished nothing changed that. Hearing a strange sound in the distance (which sounded earily like shouting) Iruka turned his attention to the path leading to park, only to see a little dot of orange, getting bigger by the second.

In the distance he could see Naruto speading towards him, and let out a big sigh. Naruto was a handful and tiring, but he had to admitt the boy could put him in a good mood for the rest of the day.

He looked again at Naruto to see he was 30 feet away, and could see the boy was trying desperately hard to stop. But before Iruka could realise what was going to happen, the boy slammed into him and sent the two flying into the air. Falling at an alarming rate, the two somersaulted eight times before landing in a bush.

Naruto sat up rubbed his head. "_Now that hurt_" Thought the boy as he tried to regain himself. As he stood up though, he could hear a low rumble of anger coming from somewhere close. Looking around him Naruto quickly decided that he should get out of here, but this decision was quickly put out as an angry Iruka dived onto him, picked him up, and vanashed. The only thing to mark there leave was a swirl of wind.

Naruto found himself at training ground 11 in a crumpled heap on the floor, with a very angry Iruka staring at him. He was supposed to meet the man in the park, not slam into him and give him a headache.

"Na-Ru-To! Iruka shouted. "Did you want to see me to slam into me?". Usually the teacher could keep his cool and deal with things rationally, but after his last mission he was tired and irritable. To scare the boy even more, he used a jutsu given to him by his friend to help him with his teaching. It made his head grow twice as big and voice twice as loud, very useful for scaring kids.

"I'm sorry sensei, I guess I should of been more careful" Said Naruto, half chuckling, half staring in fear of his sensei's massive head while scratching his head.

Iruka let out a deep sigh, and looked at the boy. He had a few scratches on him here and there, no doubt from training earlier. "What was it you wanted anyway Naruto?"

"Oh, right, well Ojii-san is giving me a scroll on stuff I haven't practiced so far, like throwing shuriken and kunai, some stuff on genjutsu and other things. I was just wondering if you could teach me anything about that" Naruto replied.

Despite feeling annoyed, he couldn't help but smile at the boy. This child would do anything to become a great ninja, that was sure. Even though he wasn't the smartest kid Iruka knew, Naruto could do anything he set his mind to; an admirable quality to have.

"I guess I can show you some stuff, but I'm not prepared now, how about for the rest of the week, after your morning exercices, come here" Said Iruka. He already knew the boy well enough to know how to teach him, so he guessed it wouldn't be too hard to show the boy how to throw a kunai or shuriken.

After talking some more, the man went back to relaxing at the park, planning on enjoying his free time while he had it. Naruto on the other hand went back to Training ground 3, which was where he did most of his training.

* * *

**One week Later**

A small girl with lavender eyes left her family's compound early, as today would be her first day at ninja academy. High grades were expected of the girl due to her being in the Hyuuga clan - one of the highest noble clans who are famous for their bloodline limit (The Byakugan).

The small girl was called Hinata, a shy and timid girl who seemed to lack the qualities of an heiress of the Hyuuga clan, or by her father's standards that is. She was kind to everyone regardless of status, she was shy and rarely spoke what she truely felt on things, and she hadn't shown the potential that was expected in the Gentle Fist style.

Regardless, she left her house that day to join the ninja academy. She hoped to make friends and become a great kunoichi to make her father proud. Hinata didn't have any friends as of yet because of how shy she was. When her Mother had been alive, the two went to the park where Hinata would play on her own, too scared of rejection to play with the other kids.

Being six and heiress to the clan, usually she would be escorted to school by her father or personal guard, but unfortunately early this morning the Hyuugas had to have an emergency meeting which involved everyone of a suitable rank so today she would be taken to school by her cousin, Neji.

Neji was a year older than Hinata, and shown a lot more potential in the Gentle Fist style than any of his generation. However, he was part of the branch family, and it was there job to serve the main family.

The two made their way to school, and when they arrived they both parted with a simple 'Goodbye' and went about finding their classrooms.

After a little bit of finding her way around, Hinata walked into her classroom and sat herself down, looking around to check out who was going to be in her class for the next four years. Being an early riser, she had gotten to school ten minutes early, and as such there weren't very many people in the class yet. Five people occupied seats around the classroom, all but one from ninja clans. One was a boy with dark brown hair, and big jacket covering the lower half of his face and a pair of shades, concealing his eyes. This appearance was that of an Aburame, the bug wielding shinobi. Next to him sat a boy who was little shorter than the bug wielder with a dog on top of his head. It didn't take a genius to work out what clan that boy came from, as the Inuzuka clan were famous for fighting with dogs.

Over on the far side of the classroom in the middle row sat a boy with raven hair, dark eyes and a moody disposition. Obviously an Uchiha, wielder of the Sharingan. And next to him sat a platinum haired girl with blue eyes, very pretty and could be seen blushing at just sitting next to the boy, belonging to the Yamanaka clan - experts of mind jutsus. The other side of the boy was a pink haired girl who didn't belong to a ninja clan, but all the same was swooning over the Uchiha, arguing with the Yamanaka to see who would get to date the said Uchiha.

Many people started to come in, until it was time for the class to begin. Looking around, most seats were already filled, and the seat next to her was one of the ones which were avoided. As Hinata's head sunk down into her folded arms on the desk, a teacher appeared at the front of the classroom in a swirl of leaves.

"Hello everybody, welcome to your first day of.." Iruka was abruptly interupted by a blond-haired boy rolling into the classroom.

"I made it! Yeah! Ummm, What is everyone staring at?" Naruto looked around at the class with a confused face. They were all looking at him. "Is there something on my face?"

As he said this, he could hear a rumbling coming from underneath him, similar to the one he heard in the bushes a week ago.

"Na-Ru-To!" Cried Iruka, as he jumped up flipping the boy into the air.

"I-Iruka sensei, I'm sooo sorry, I didn't see you there and I was rushing and I was late because I over slept and my alarm was broken and.." Naruto pleaded, but his apology was quickly cut short by Iruka hitting the boy on the head.

The man dusted himself off and looking back up at the class. "Well, what I was going to say was welcome to your first day of Ninja Academy, my name is Iruka Umino, your new sensei. We will now introduce ourselves, and since you were so kind to run in to me and knock me to the floor, you can go first Naruto".

"Owww, That really hurt you know sensei! Oh, Well, umm, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, and one day I will become Hokage! I will protect everyone in the Konoha and will get acknowledged as the strongest shinobi, Believe it!" Declared Naruto, he said in extremely loud voice nearly leaving Iruka deaf.

The class started to giggle at the boy. They started whispering to each other, things like "How can he become Hokage?" and "This guy is a joke, if he becomes hokage I'll eat my shoes". Naruto didn't care though, a handful of people believed in his dream and that's all that matters.

Iruka smiled at the boy, and knew even if his classmates don't believe him, the boy would never give up. That was how he was, and the man doubted any chance of Naruto changing. "Very good Naruto, now go and pick a seat so we can start introducing others, you start over there".

Naruto looked around the class for a moment before deciding where to sit.

Hinata stared, shocked as this cute boy came and sat next to her by choice. "_Oh kami, what do I do?_" thought the blushing girl, over and over again those thoughts replayed to her.

"Hi, what's your name?" Naruto said giving a little, genuine smile.

At this, the girl fell into a shade of red Naruto had never seen before. The smile he gave her flowed into Hinata, filling her with happiness, and his azure eyes just made her feel as if no one could ever hurt her again.

"I-I'm ca-called Hin-a-ta, pleasure t-to meet-t you, Naru-to-kun" Hinata said before quickly turning away from the boy's stare and towards the front of the class. She felt like she was going to faint, and already was turning into a deeper red than ever.

Naruto looked with confusion. "_Was it something I said?_" He thought while trying to come up with a conclusion for her nervous disposition.

Shaking his head and coming out of his thoughts, he leant in close to Hinata while he stared at the front of the class. Naruto was anything but subtle.

"Well, It's great to meet you Hinata-chan! Would you like to be friends?" The blond boy said in a 'whisper'. A piece of chalk collided with Naruto's head.

Iruka stared at the boy shaking his head. "We haven't even gotten through the introduction of students and you are already losing focus, pay attention Naruto".

The boy just sighed and slumped down in onto his desk, hoping that ninja academy didn't turn out to be one lecture after another. then he turned his attention to his friend once again, who seemed to be staring into thin air.

"H-Hinata-chan?"

"_Chan? He called me Hinata-chan_". The girl almost fainted, and it took every last bit of will power to stop herself from doing so. She, after 15 minutes of being in the classroom had already made a friend. She tried to speak to say yes, to say how she thought their friendship would be great and how she thought he could become Hokage one day, but the only thing that she could muster up was a quick nod followed by a very small "F-friends would be good".

Upon hearing these words, Naruto sat up straight and smiled again a much bigger smile than last time. "Yeah! Thank you, Hinata-chan, meet me at lunch so we can eat together and then..". the boy stopped and ducked as a wood block came hurtling towards his head.

"Ha! Sorry sensei, I guess I am just too fast for.. Ouch! Why did you hit me again?" And with that, Naruto settled back down in his seat and continued the lesson on the history of shinobi and basic chakra theories; nothing new for the blond boy as he had already been over chakra theory a thousand times with Jiraiya, so most of his time was spent sleeping.

Lunch came and everyone was dismissed, followed by a very loud 'Yatta!' from a certain child.

Once on the playground, Naruto made sure to find the lavender eyed girl before anything else. There was something about her that just seemed to interest the boy, he might of even said she was cute. Finally finding her after 5 minutes of searching, he found the girl on a bench, far away from most of the other classmates.

"Hinata-chan, Hi! Can I eat lunch with you? And why are you sitting all the way over here, I almost didn't see you" Said Naruto with his usual zeal.

"S-sorry Naruto-kun, it's just, I-I don't-t have any f-friends, so I eat-t alone. B-but please, sit with me, Narut-to-kun" Said an emabrrassed Hinata while holding her bento box.

"No friends? Well, I dont have any either. Don't worry about that now though, we can be friends Hinata-chan".

The two then ate lunch together while talking about each other, and Naruto grew to like her more and more. By the end of lunch Hinata seemed to be less nervous talking in front of him, only stuttering a little each time. The two made their way back to class and sat back next to each other, still talking about whatever came to mind.

"Class, for our next lesson I want to do a skill assessment of all of you, so follow me to the training ground" Iruka said.

* * *

Naruto and HInata foud themselves at a small field, containing a small pond, posts with targets on them, a ring for sparing, everthing the basic training ground needed. Hinata looked back at her new friend, who just smiled back at her.

Iruka looked at Naruto and his new friend, smirking at what he was seeing, but quickly proceeded with the lesson. "Ok, we are going to start by having a little kunai throwing competition, so everyone line up".

Naruto was last in line and couldn't wait to measure himself against his classmates, since if he was going to be Hokage he might as well start by being the best in the class.

Many people started throwing the Kunai at the target, few actually hitting the outer ring. Naruto simply chuckled at this, putting his hands behind his head while thinking "_Looks like becoming Hokage was going to be easier than I thought_".

Unfortunately, this thought was interrupted the sound of swooning girls and a very prominant 'Hn'. Falling back into reality, Naruto looked at the five targets set up, seeing that 3 of them had kunai in the center of their targets.

"Well done, Sasuke, best so far. To think this is your first day here and you are able to do this" Iruka said, praising the Uchiha while a group of girls stared in awe at the raven haired boy.

After everyone had gone except for Hinata and himself, he wished his friend good luck as she prepared for her turn. Hitting the target (Not dead center though) on each one, Hinata walked back to Naruto. She would have wished him good luck if she hadn't turned red, fazed by Naruto's smile and 'Well done, you did amazing' comment. She wasn't used to praise, being the one main branch Hyuuga who didn't show buckets of talent.

Grabbing the kunai, Naruto stared at the targets, just like in practice. He had only practiced a week, but he was sure he could hit 4 in the center of the target. The whole stared at the boy, seeing what he could do. Naruto had stated that he wanted to be Hokage one day, and this made everyone interested in his ability. Naruto let out a breath, and threw all five kunai.

*Thud*..*Thud*..*Thud*..*Thud*..*Thud*.

All the kunai had struck home, but Naruto hadn't looked up to check his score. For some reason he was nervous, and as soon as he threw the kunai he looked away. There was an eerie silence which engulfed the field, which put the boy on edge. After several moments of absolute silence, the blond boy couldn't stand it anymore and looked at the target.

Perfect shot.

After another moments of silence, Naruto let out a massive 'Yatta', breaking the silence and a few peoples ears.

"V-vvery good Naruto, why don't you guys gather over there while I'll sort out the scores and kunai" A surprised Iruka said, amazed at his aim. "_He was never this good in practice, maybe it was a lucky throw_".

Naruto, smiling like there was no tomorrow, walked back over to Hinata, with half the class staring at him and the other staring at where his kunai had gone.

"N-naruto, I didn't know y-you where that-t good" Hinata said, just as amazed as Iruka with Naruto's skill. The boy let on to be a knuckle head who didn't know a katana from a shuriken, but most people's opinion of him had changed somewhat after that display.

"Come on, that was just luck, I can't usually hit all 5 like that" Naruto said modestly, scratching the behind of his head with his hand.

Also surprised with the blond's skill, Sasuke walked over to him, not sure how to feel about what he had just saw.

"Hey, dobe, was that luck or do you actually possess some skill?" Sasuke muttered.

"What was that, teme? You speak as if you are better than me" Naruto said, sounding quite annoyed at the comment.

Sasuke didn't change his facial expression at all and remained in the same stance as before, seemingly unaffected by the comment. "That's because I AM better than you, clearly it was just luck, unless you care to prove it".

"Bring it on, Uchiha brat!" Naruto said with venom in his voice.

"Well, you can both prove yourselves in the sparing match which is starting NOW, so stop arguing and get in the ring" Iruka said, sneaking up on both the boys, making them turn widely towards him.

Sasuke turned towards the ring, muttering "Fine".

"I'm gunna kick your ass teme!" Naruto said as he stormed off in the same direction. But, as he walked away, he felt something tug at his arm. He looked back to see his Hyuuga friend looking down with a worried expression on her face.

"B-Be caref-ful, Naruto-kun, he looks s-strong" HInata said in a voice that seemed twice as shaky than usual.

Naruto gave a reasurring smile towards his friend, saying "Don't worry, Hinata-chan, I'm going to win; Believe it!".

The two boys entered the ring, both staring at the other.

"Let the match begin, now" Iruka said, interested to see how Naruto is at taijutsu, never actually helping Naruto out with it during their training.

Everyone watched in anticipation at the fight about to begin, not saying a word.

"Troublesome" Came from a voice far at the back of the group who sat up from watching the clouds. "I guess watching clouds is going to have to wait".


	4. Chapter 4 - Another Friend

**Chapter 4 - Another Friend  
**

The blond stared at his opponent, who was now in a taijutsu stance, waiting to launch himself at Naruto. Standing up straight, the boy closed his eyes and calmed himself - something Jiraiya had taught him to do before a match. Breathing out, the blond opened his eyes again, but didn't drop into a stance. He just stood with his arms by his sides, looking at Sasuke.

"_His eyes, they are the same as everyone else's out there, full of hatred. But.." _Naruto's thought was interrupted by Iruka.

"Both of you form the seal of confrontation"

Naruto looked towards his sensei, dumbfounded. "Uhh, the seal of confron-what?".

The man put his hand on his forehead and lowered his head. "Do you ever listen to me in class, Naruto? The seal of confrontation is the symbol of combat and is a universal sign of engagement between shinobi. Now, both of you form half a ram seal so we can start the match".

Sasuke let out a 'Hn', before performing the half ram seal.

Naruto took a minute to take in what Iruka said before forming the hand sign. Smiling, he watched his opponent fall into his stance again, waiting in anticipation for the match of the match.

"Let the match begin, now" Iruka said.

The raven haired boy crouched lower, and then bolted towards Naruto, bringing his arm back for a right hook. The blond's smile faded into a more serious look, and went into a taijutsu stance. Sasuke, now seven feet away from Naruto launched his fist at the blond's face, only to strike thin air.

Naruto maneuvered around the punch, leaving Sasuke off-balance. Bringing his left arm around, he struck the boy's side.

* * *

**2 years ago**

**During Naruto's training with Jiraiya**

"Ok, I've taught you some basic taijutsu, let's see if you can hit me kid" Jiraiya said, watching as the small boy crouched, then sprung forward toward the white-haired man, sending a flurry of punches. Jiraiya waited until the last possible moment, and then stepped to the side, striking the now off-balanced boy.

Naruto was sent hurtling across the ground until skidding to a stop. Jiraiya wondered over to the boy's side. "Don't be so reckless kid" He said, crouching next to the boy who was now on his knees.

"Owww, Hey, that wasn't fair, how did you do that?" Naruto said, clutching his side in pain.

Jiraiya chuckled, and then said "Don't rush in to attack an opponent expecting to hit him. Take your time, think about your actions before doing them".

Waiting for Naruto to finish dusting himself off, the man noticed how tired Naruto was. "_He is quite young, and yet he trains as if he is a genin, I shouldn't push him too hard_"

"Now, I think that's enough training for today, let's go get some ramen" Said Jiraiya, smiling.

Naruto, hearing these words lept off the floor, forgetting all the pain and the two started to make their way to Ichiraku ramen.

"Thank you, Ero-sennin, and not just for offering to buy me ramen" Naruto said, smiling at his mentor.

Jiraiya gave a look of confusion. "Who said I was paying, kid?" Said the man, letting out a big laugh.

* * *

Sasuke, feeling the effect of the punch, put one knee to the floor, trying to recover. "_How the hell can this dobe dodge my punch and counter attack, all in one movement? Not only that, he was able to hit a perfect score in kunai training_" The raven-haired boy thought in anger and confusion.

Naruto, not wanting to lose this opportunity, turned around and went for a low kick, pivoting on his hands. Sasuke jumped back, avoiding contact and sent a volly of shuriken at the blond.

Gasping, Iruka was about to call the match off as the use of real weapons wasn't allowed, when a puff of smoke enveloped Naruto's wrist, making a kunai appear in his hand.

The blond blocked all the shuriken despite being surprised that they were used and thrown his kunai at the Uchiha. Being in midair couldn't do much to avoid the kunai speeding towards him, and tried twisting his body as to dodge it. The kunai shot to the spot next to the Uchiha, cutting his dark blue shit and embedded itself in the tree behind.

Attention distracted for a moment, the boy smiled at his victory at dodging the kunai. "I guess that perfect shot you had was just a fluke after..". Sasuke couldn't finish his sentence due to Naruto's fist in his stomach. Grabbing the boy's shoulder, the blond threw him against the nearby tree.

Approaching the Uchiha, now slumped against the bottom of the tree, Naruto held out his hand toward him, smiling.

"Sasuke, that was a great fight! You are definately strong and I can't wait to do this again" Naruto said, only for the Uchiha to knock his hand away.

The raven-haired boy scowled at the blond. "I don't need your pity, next time we fight I will win" He exclaimed in a burst of rage. He was an Uchiha, power was in his blood. He could do anything, and he will be stronger than anyone and kill his brother. This dobe got lucky, next time the result would be different.

Naruto grabbed his hand, despite his own being knocked away. "I'm sorry teme, but I wasn't giving you pity. You have a lot of hatred for someone, I can see it in your eyes. But you have to let it go, whatever happens in the future with this person happens, but why not enjoy your life until then. And, if you want to be strong, you can train with me", and with this, he picked Sasuke up and put his arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight and leading him to their teacher.

Sasuke could only stare at the blond in confusion, not having the strength to go against being led to the teacher.

Iruka smiled as the two walked slowly towards him. "Naruto is the winner".

In the class, half stood in silence, not believing what had just happened. Someone had beaten the last Uchiha, an act thought impossible. Everyone had heard of the Uchiha incident and how that boy was the last alive, and simply figured that the boy was the strongest out of all of them.

The other half screamed in loud voices "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SASUKE-KUN!" Exclaiming that Naruto had cheated and how Sasuke was so much better than the blond knuckle-head. This half seemed to be made up of fangirls of the Uchiha, and didn't seem to like Naruto for winning. At the head of this group stood two girls, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno.

Naruto, not realising with the group of fangirls behind him, plotting for his demise, carried on as normal, walking Sasuke toward the school after being told to take him to the infirmary.

Hinata simply watched him go by, whispering a 'Well Done' which went unheard by the blond. She too was amazed by what she had seen, not realising that Naruto was not only skilled in kunai throwing, but was able to beat the Uchiha in a sparring match. Her head hung low at the thought of being so weak in comparison to him, why would he still be her friend if she was so weak?

"Hey, Hinata-chan! Wait here for me when it's time to go, I'll walk home with you" Said Naruto as he entered the building with the Uchiha. And, as soon as he did, HInata fainted.

Two boy's looked down at her, one with a dog and his head and another with shades, wondering why she had fell over and what they should do.

Back in the school, Naruto waited with Sasuke while the nurse patched him up. The two hadn't said a word since they had left the field, the Uchiha thinking about Naruto's words and the blond thinking of how to engage conversation.

"_With Hinata this was so easy, but this guy, what do I say?_" Naruto thought while looking nervously at the boy. He didn't know if his words had struck home or if they went unnoticed, all he knew was this boy was like himself - both alone. Naruto had heard of what had happened to the Uchiha clan by the Hokage, and was one of the only people who had felt as much pain as the boy. Sure it was different, Sasuke had the family and knew what it felt like to be loved, but had these bonds broken and crushed. However, Naruto has been an orphan all his life and nearly all alone. Everybody hated him and shunned him for reasons unknown to him.

Both know pain, so Naruto figured that was a good enough reason to stick together.

Sasuke was the first to brake the silence.

"Hey, dobe, how did you beat me? Most people have heard of you, Uzumaki Naruto, a loser who goes around pranking people and could never make it as a ninja, let alone Hokage. How are you this strong?" Asked the boy, looking down at the floor, never looking up while speaking.

Naruto put his hand behind his head and scratched, a habit which has seemed to developed. "I have people who believe in me and my dream, they believe in me and help me become strong. One day I am going to become Hokage, but I can't get there on my own".

Sasuke looked at the blond and opened his mouth to speak, but instead looked back down at the floor.

Once again, the two boys were left in silence, occasionally hearing the shouting of their classmates outside. Sasuke could only sit and think about what had transpired up until today, how long he had trained with his brother, how he was said to be the best rookie of his year because he was an Uchiha.

"Sasuke, I was thinking.." Naruto said in a nervous manner. "Maybe you could join me tomorrow morning for training?".

Now looking up at the blond, Sasuke thought about rejecting. The last Uchiha, training with some lowly orphan boy? People wouldn't like it, and his reputation would deteriorate. "_Like I ever cared about reputation, all that matters is strength, and this boy could help me attain it_".

"What time?" The raven-haired boy answered in a serious tone.

Naruto smiled, being incredibly happy that Sasuke was going to train with him.

"6, Training ground 11, I gotta run now, I promised I would take Hinata-chan home" The blond said running out of the door.

The Uchiha simply watched as Naruto sprinted out of the door smiling, and could only wonder what the boy could be happy about. He still didn't understand the boy, and was slightly curious about it. Nothing he had heard about Naruto matched the boy he had encountered today. Sasuke hopped down from where he was sitting and began walking home, still trying to work out the puzzle of the blond-haired knucklehead that beat him today.

* * *

Once Naruto made it outside, most people were on their way home. He looked around, seeing an old swing hanging from a tree about two fully-grown men high, far from where kids were collected from school. The red paint was cracking on the seat and the rope frayed, and the all over appearance was quite solemn, and in turn made the boy's expression go from a smile to a frown. Transfixed by this picture, Naruto was remembered of the hate he still gets from the villages, how he has no parents and all the abuse in the past he had endured. He walked over to it and brushed his hand lightly along the seat, some of the paint cracking off the wood. Turning back and looking toward the school, the boy seen how the school was freshly painted with bright colours, and reminded Naruto of the people important to him. Ero-Sennin, Ojii-san, Iruka-sensei, and now Hinata-chan and Sasuke. This brought back the boy's smile, almost destroying all his previous hatred inside him.

Now coming out of this train of thought, Naruto remembered he was meant to be walking Hinata home, and suddenly rushed around trying to find her. Knowing that she wasn't anywhere here, the boy decided to go check out the playground, hoping she would be there waiting for him.

Rushing over, Hinata was no where to be seen, again bringing disapointment to Naruto's face. He walked over and sat on the same bench he had started talking to his friend on, and started to wonder why she had not waited for him. He twisted his body and began to lie down on the bench, looking up to the sky. He put his hands behind his head to get a little comfier, when his hands brushed past a piece of paper.

Now sitting up, Naruto picked up the piece of paper and stared at it in confusion. There was a message on it, written in very neat handwriting. Thankfully, Naruto had improved in his reading ability to be able to decipher the message, but it still took him a couple minutes.

_Naruto-kun,_

_I'm sorry I did not wait for you. _

_I had to walk home with my father and he did not want me to walk home with you._

_I will see you tomorrow, but I do not think we can walk home together for now, at least not until I am older._

_Thank you,_

_Hinata._

Once Naruto had read and understood the message, he couldn't help but clench his fists, wrinkling the paper. Yet another person was trying to make him sad and alone, and the boy didn't know why. The villager's hatred for him has always baffled Naruto, and no one has given him any clue for figuring it out.

Calming down, Naruto put the note in his pocket and started walking home, preparing for his afternoon training session and thinking about the events of his first day at Ninja Academy.

Walking toward his apartment, Naruto tried to ignored the many glares he still seemed to get from everyone he saw him. It was a daily trail, one he had faced many times, and he knew it wasn't all just going to stop one day.

Getting to his apartment, the boy opened the door and walked in, locking the door behind him. He turned on the kettle and slumped down on the sofa, still going over today's events.

"_I made two friends_". Naruto smiled at this realisation. "_I made two friends on my first day!_".

Now hopping around his apartment with excitement, Naruto didn't notice a certain white-haired man jump through his window, land on his bed and dash into the kitchen.

Naruto continued thinking about his new friends and how he was meeting one tomorrow morning when he suddenly realised that the kettle hadn't alerted him to it's boiling yet. The boy quickly ran into the kitchen to find Jiraiya leaning against the wall with instant ramen in his hand.

"Tastes good, kid" Said the man with a smirk on his face.

Not replying, Naruto stared at this sight and started to shake. Suddenly, releasing a large amount of chakra to his legs, the boy flew off the floor and moved at incredible speads toward Jiraiya, who barely had time to react to the incoming threat.

Flying head first into the stomach of Jiraiya, sending both of then hurling toward the wall where they came to a stop. The wall cracked as Jiraiya, now falling toward the floor fell into a sitting position, with Naruto in his lap. He felt a giant pain build in his stomach, and winced as it started to increase.

Naruto on the other hand got up and dashed toward the instant ramen pot that had fell onto the floor correct side up, not spilling anything.

"You pervert! That was my ramen!" Said Naruto as he picked up the ramen and started eating it.

Jiraiya could only look at the boy in awe as he stumbled to his feet, but quickled dashed over to the boy when Naruto fainted and caught him in mid-fall.

"_I guess he isn't accustomed to letting off large amounts of chakra like that, I'm surprised his legs withstood it_" Thought Jiraiya, picking up the boy and taking him to bed. But as he reached the bedroom, Jiraiya decided to take Naruto somewhere else.

The man let out a chuckle. "_He may have potential, but what a knucklehead. To attack ME for taking his ramen_".

And with that thought, Jiraiya disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Naruto awoke to realise he wasn't in his home. "The last thing I remember was... Oh damn it. Where is Ero-Sennin?!". Taking a look at his surroundings, the boy noticed that he was in Training Ground 11, his usual training spot. Also, he noticed Jiraiya thirty feet away, immersed in writing a story.

Getting up slowly, Naruto walked over to the man.

"What are we doing here, Ero-Sennin?" Asked Naruto, forgetting about his ramen.

Jiraiya didn't reply, but simply stopped writing, closed his book and stood up. "What do you think? You are going to show me your skills, I haven't seen you in a couple months now, you must have improved" Said Jiraiya, as he got up and fell into a taijutsu stance.

Naruto laughed and got into the same stance. "Of course! I am going to be Hokage, I think I may just be able to land a blow on you now" Said Naruto confidently.

Jiraiya laughed. "You wont be able to boy, and if you do, I'll buy you as much ramen as you want!".

Suddenly, Naruto came alive and was sending a flurry of punches and kicks toward his opponent.

The two continued sparing for an hour, the boy not landing a single hit on the man. Naruto was using every tool at his disposal: Kunai, Shuriken, Explosive tags and even a Giant Shuriken, although Naruto couldn't use it very effectively.

Jiraiya however simply dodged his blows and returned them.

By then end of it Naruto was panting, bruised and tired, and Jiraiya was out of breath slightly, smiling at his student. "_He has done well, very well, but still he has a long way to go_" Thought Jiraiya as he said "Hey kid, not bad, how about we go get some ramen, my treat. Then you can tell me all about your first day at Ninja Academy".

Still tired, Naruto ran up and hugged Jiraiya, and both walked to Ichiraku's Ramen, the boy's favourite place to eat.

Once there, Naruto told the man all about Hinata and Sasuke, how his lessons were boring and how he ate lunch with Hinata. He also said about his fight with Sasuke, his success with kunai throwing and how he and Sasuke were going to train together tomorrow morning.

"You beat him, huh?" Said Jiraiya as the man thought about how well his student was doing. Beating the last Uchiha was an achievement, and his success with kunai throwing was remarkable.

"Yeah, I guess I'm one step closer to becoming Hokage, Believe it!" Said Naruto, finishing his tenth bowl of ramen. "I've got to get going now, Ero-Sennin, I gotta get up early for training, Thanks for the ramen!".

Jiraiya watched the boy sprint away and out of sight, then he payed for the ramen and headed to the Hokage's office. He was sure that the third would be interested to hear this recent update.

* * *

**6:00 am - Training Ground 11**

Sasuke was standing next to one of the posts in the training ground, awaiting the arrival of Naruto.

He was wearing a dark blue and grey short sleeved t-shirt, bearing the Uchiha clan emblem on the back, with black trousers and standard shinobi sandals. His hair was shoulder length and raven coloured, with onyx eyes.

Sasuke was shocked with himself for actually coming to this early morning training, and what was even more shocking to him was he was a little excited. Naruto had displayed a clear amount of skill yesterday, and that meant his training regiment would have to be quite advanced.

Naruto suddenly came running toward Sasuke with a large scroll on his back, just shorter than the boy himself, bringing Sasuke out of his train of thought.

"Hey Sasuke, you turned up!" Naruto said, taking the scroll off.

Sasuke stared in confusion at the scroll, but didn't bother to question it. "Ok dobe, so what are we going to do first?" Sasuke asked in a lighter tone than usual.

Naruto opened up the scroll on the ground, and then proceeded to slap his hand down onto the seal in the scroll.

WIth a puff of smoke erupting from the scroll, a trunk appeared on top of the scroll.

"Ok, we will just leave this here for now, first we should warm up, so follow me" Naruto said as he began to run off. "If you can, teme".

With this last comment, Sasuke began to run with the boy, smiling at the last comment. And with that, the two ran for half an hour, going around the training ground, through the trees and then back to their original spot.

Sasuke, hands on his knees and panting, was having trouble keeping up with Naruto during the run as the boy was running at such an incredible rate. Even so, the Uchiha stared at the boy who, after doing the same amount of exercise as him was breathing heavier than usual, bearly sweating for that matter.

Letting out a big breath, Sasuke stood up straight, still breathing quite heavely.

"Ok, now we do press ups and sit ups for physical conditioning, then we will work on sparing" Said Naruto, already going down into the press up position. Sasuke followed, but couldn't keep up with the alarming amount of press ups the blond could do. By the end of their exercise, Sasuke was quite tired, but was amazed but Naruto's energy and strength.

Naruto looked at the raven-haired boy, wondering why he was so tired, but decided to just proceed with sparring. "Ok, you attack me for now and I will be on the defence, and after that I will go on the offence, giving you a chance to block and dodge... get ready" Said Naruto as he went into his usual taijutsu stance.

Sasuke stood up and stretched, still feeling tired but ran at the boy none the less.

Blocking and dodging the incomming attacks, Naruto was able to dodge most of them, but required alot of effort to do so.

Repeatedly Sasuke attacked, throwing many punches and kicks toward Naruto with all his strength, coming from various angles and sometimes trying to confuse the boy with fake-punches. Unfortunately for Sasuke, the blond dodged nearly every one of his attacks, and when he couldn't evade most of the time he blocked. Twenty minutes of this relentless attack went on, only to have to the same outcome.

The blond was quite tired after the barage of attacks sent by the Uchiha. But, Naruto's fatigue was nothing on Sasuke's.

The Uchiha had to give everything he had to even land one blow on the blond, and as a result he was really tired. "This is crazy, I can barely stand up and he is just sweating lightly. And he does this every morning?" The boy thought in a mixture of confusion, wonder and envy.

Naruto let out a deep breath, got into the taijutsu position. "Ok, I'm coming at you Sasuke, get ready to block.".

As soon as Naruto had said this, Sasuke had to jump backwards to avoid a powerful punch aiming for his chest, and Naruto ran after, letting off attacks one by one, careful and controlled.

Another twenty minutes later, the raven-haired boy went to the floor and rolled onto his back, panting. Naruto did the same, panting but not quite so heavily. The exercise and sparring had caught up with the blond, and he was almost as tired as Sasuke.

Sasuke turned and looked at the boy he had trained just trained with. "You may be an idiot, but that was crazy! How can you do that every morning?".

"Haha, Well, get used to it. You are going to be doing this every morning with me from now on" Naruto said with a small smile on his face. "Anyway, how about we go get something to eat, I don't mind paying for my friends to eat".

Sasuke found himself staring at the boy in confusion once more. "_Friends? I'm his friend? When did that happen?_" Thought the boy as he tried to get up.

"Hey, dobe, what was with that trunk you pulled out of the scroll earlier?"

"Hmm? Trunk? Oh yeah, let me show you" Naruto said, getting up and walking over to the trunk, followed by Sasuke a moment after.

Opening it, the boys both looked in to see a vast array of scrolls, kunai, shuriken and one larger scroll than the rest.

Naruto looked at his friend and smiled. "I have all these scrolls which I learn from and I have extra kunai and shuriken. After food I was thinking we should work on chakra controll and show each other what we can do in that area of things".

Sasuke looked shocked, but then started to laugh. "You never cease to impress me, dobe".  
"Whatever teme" Said Naruto as he sealed the equipment back up. "Let's go".

...

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Flames spewed out of the boy's mouth, creating a sphere of flame, engulfing the tree in front of Sasuke. The tree was left scorched and the plant life around it burnt to ashes.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at this jutsu in amazement, questioning why he wanted to learn sealing techniques when people his age could use jutsu like this.

"Wow Sasuke, That was incredible!" Naruto said as the Uchiha shurgged and walked back to the boy. The two had eaten ramen together, and then worked on chakra control. Once the two were sufficiently bored, the blond suggested that Sasuke show him what he could do jutsu-wise, the result being a fireball scorching a tree.

"Alright dobe, I suppose you are going to come out with some great big jutsu that shadows mine" Sasuke said while sighing. But, to his relief, Naruto shook his head.

"Nothing like your fire release, but it's still cool! Let me show you" said the blond while he moulded some chakra. He then slapped his side, of which a puff of smoke shot out. In his hand was an ordinary-looking kunai with a tag attached to it.

"_That's an ordinary kunai with an explosive tag, what is that going to do?_" Sasuke thought, as Naruto thrown said kunai at the scorched tree. As the kunai flew past the tree, the Uchiha waited to hear an explosion, but instead heard a sound similar to many explosive tags going off at once. Then, a massive explosion went off, shrouding everything within a twenty foot radius with smoke.

Once cleared, the raven-haired boy stared in wonder at the sight before his eyes. Not only was the scorched-tree half gone, but all the trees around it were either scorched or damaged in some way.

"W-what did you do?" Sasuke said, still a little bewildered.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well, I've been learning about seals, and I regularly make explosive tags and test them out. I noticed that the tags have a timer on them which I have to write out, as well as the explosion. So, I made a normal storage seal, sealed fifteen explosive tags in it, and then put the timer on the seal. It took quite a long time to figure out, and I had to have help at some point, but the result being that instead of one explosion after three seconds, the tags are released and set off, making fifteen explosions".

Sasuke stared at the boy, not for the first time today with a surprised look on his face. He doubted if he would ever stop being impressed and shocked by what Naruto could come out with.

"Ok dobe, I'm impressed, just don't use it against me" Said the boy smirking.

Naruto laughed. "No promises, teme".

The two then packed up the equipment, realising it was almost time for school.

As they headed out of Training Ground 11, a white-heared man appeared in the trees, out of sight. He went over and looked at the damage of his students timed-storage seal, laughing slightly at what the boy had accomplished.

Then, as abruptly as he appeared, he vanished in a swirl of leaves.


End file.
